Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 80:8
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
8. Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt (R.V.): the verb is one which can be applied to the transplantation of a vine, or the migration of a people, as in Psa 78:52. Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it. See Exo 23:28 ff; Exo 15:17; Psa 44:2; Psa 78:55.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8 13. Under the figure of a vine, once carefully tended and spreading far and wide in luxuriant growth, but now exposed to the ravages of wild beasts, the Psalmist contrasts God’s former care for His people with their present plight. The figure of the vine may have been suggested by Gen 49:22. See Hos 10:1; Isa 5:1-7; Isa 27:2-6; Jer 2:21; Jer 12:10 ff. “The vine was the emblem of the nation on the coins of the Maccabees, and in the colossal cluster of golden grapes which overhung the porch of the second Temple; and the grapes of Judah still mark the tombstones of the Hebrew race in the oldest of their European cemeteries, at Prague.” Sinai and Palestine, p. 164.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt – Referring to his people, under the image (which often occurs in the Scriptures) of a vine or vineyard. See the notes at Isa 5:1-7. Compare Jer 2:21; Eze 15:6; Mat 20:1; Mat 21:28, Mat 21:33; Luk 13:6.
Thou hast cast out the heathen – The nations; to wit, the nations that occupied the land of Canaan before the children of Israel dwelt there. See Psa 2:1, note; Psa 2:8, note; Psa 77:15, note.
And planted it – Thou hast established thy people there as one plants a vine in a field. See Psa 44:2.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt] This is a most elegant metaphor, and every where well supported. The same similitude is used by Isaiah, Isa 5:1, c. by Jeremiah, Jer 2:21; by Ezekiel, Eze 17:5-6; by Hosea, Ho 10:1; by Joel, Joe 1:7; by Moses, De 32:32-33; and often by our Lord himself, Mt 20:1, c. Mt 21:33, c. Mr 12:1, c. And this was the ordinary figure to represent the Jewish Church. We may remark several analogies here:-
1. This vine was brought out of Egypt that it might be planted in a better and more favourable soil. The Israelites were brought out of their Egyptian bondage that they might be established in the land of Canaan, where they might grow and flourish, and worship the true God.
2. When the husbandman has marked out a proper place for his vineyard, he hews down and roots up all other trees gathers out the stones, brambles, &c., that might choke the young vines, and prevent them from being fruitful. So God cast out the heathen nations from the land of Canaan, that his pure worship might be established, and that there might not remain there any incitements to idolatry.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A vine; to which the Israel or church of God is oft compared; as Isa 5:2; Jer 2:21; Eze 17:6; Mat 21:32.
Out of Egypt; he alludes to the custom of transplanting trees for their more advantageous growth.
The heathen; the nations of Canaan.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8-11. broughtor, “pluckedup,” as by roots, to be replanted.
a vine (Ps78:47). The figure (Isa 16:8)represents the flourishing state of Israel, as predicted (Ge28:14), and verified (1Ki4:20-25).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt,…. The house of Israel, who are like unto a vine, as the Targum paraphrases it; and to a vine or vineyard are they often compared; see Isa 5:1 Jer 2:21. These were in Egypt awhile, where they were grievously oppressed and trampled upon; and yet the more they were afflicted, the more they grew and multiplied; and from hence the Lord brought them in due time, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
he caused them to go out; the word o used fitly expresses their journeyings from thence, and through the wilderness; they were a type of the church of Christ, and special people of God, who also are frequently compared to vines and vineyards; see So 2:13 the vine tree is fruitful, and bears fruit in clusters but its wood is very useless and unprofitable, Eze 15:2 and it is a tree very weak, and cannot rise and support itself, it must be propped up; so believers in Christ, though fruitful through the grace of God, yet are unprofitable to him, and very weak in themselves, and are upheld by the right hand of his righteousness, on whom they lean and stay themselves; and these, in their natural state, are in worse than Egyptian bondage, darkness, and idolatry, out of which they are brought, in the effectual calling, into Gospel liberty, marvellous light, and the true worship and service of God; and out of the antichristian Egypt will all the Lord’s people be brought one day; see Re 11:8.
thou hast cast out the Heathen; the Targum adds, out of the land of Israel, that is, Canaan; it designs the expulsion of the seven nations from thence, to make way for the Israelites, De 7:1 and was an emblem of the ejection of Satan out of the Gentile world, and out of the souls of men, through the ministry of the word; and of sin, and the lusts of it, when the King of glory enters in, so as that they shall not any more have dominion; though as the Canaanites were left in the land to be pricks and thorns in the eyes and sides of the Israelites, so indwelling sin remains in God’s people to the distress of their souls, and the trial of their graces. The Papists are sometimes called the Heathens and Gentiles; and there will be a time when they shall be cast out, and be no more in the land, Ps 10:16,
and planted it; the vine, the Israelites, in the land of Canaan; see
Ex 15:17. So saints are planted not only in Christ, the true vine, of which they are branches; but in a Gospel church state, where they flourish and become fruitful and pleasant plants, plants of renown; and being of the Lord’s planting, he is glorified by them, and they shall never be rooted up, nor wither, but prosper and thrive; see Ps 1:3.
o “fecisti proficisci”, Paginus, Montanus, Vatablus
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The complaint now assumes a detailing character in this strophe, inasmuch as it contrasts the former days with the present; and the ever more and more importunate prayer moulds itself in accordance therewith. The retrospective description begins, as is rarely the case, with the second modus, inasmuch as “the speaker thinks more of the bare nature of the act than of the time” (Ew. 136, b). As in the blessing of Jacob (Gen 49:22) Joseph is compared to the layer ( ) of a fruitful growth ( ), whose shoots ( ) climb over the wall: so here Israel is compared to a vine (Gen 49:22; , Psa 128:3), which has become great in Egypt and been transplanted thence into the Land of Promise. , lxx , as in Job 19:10, perhaps with an allusion to the of the people journeying to Canaan (Psa 78:52).
(Note: Exod. Rabba, ch. 44, with reference to this passage, says: “When husbandmen seek to improve a vine, what do they do? They root ( ) it out of its place and plant ( ) it in another.” And Levit. Rabba, ch. 36, says: “As one does not plant a vine in a place where there are great, rough stones, but examines the ground and then plants it, so didst Thou drive out peoples and didst plant it,” etc.)
Here God made His vine a way and a place ( , to clear, from , to turn, turn aside, Arabic fanija , to disappear, pass away; root , to urge forward), and after He had secured to it a free soil and unchecked possibility of extension, it (the vine) rooted its roots, i.e., struck them ever deeper and wider, and filled the earth round about (cf. the antitype in the final days, Isa 27:6). The Israelitish kingdom of God extended itself on every side in accordance with the promise. (cf. Eze 17:6, and vegetable , a shoot) also has the vine as its subject, like . Psa 80:11-12 state this in a continued allegory, by the “mountains” pointing to the southern boundary, by the “cedars” to the northern, by the “sea” to the western, and by the “river” (Euphrates) to the eastern boundary of the country (vid., Deu 11:24 and other passages). and are accusatives of the so-called more remote object (Ges. 143, 1). is a cutting = a branch; , a (vegetable) sucker = a young, tender shoot; , the cedars of Lebanon as being living monuments of the creative might of God. The allegory exceeds the measure of the reality of nature, inasmuch as this is obliged to be extended according to the reality of that which is typified and historical. But how unlike to the former times is the present! The poet asks “wherefore?” for the present state of things is a riddle to him. The surroundings of the vine are torn down; all who come in contact with it pluck it ( , to pick off, pluck off, Talmudic of the gathering of figs); the boar out of the wood ( with , Ajin )
(Note: According to Kiddushin, 30 a, because this Ajin is the middle letter of the Psalter as the Waw of , Lev 11:42, is the middle letter of the Tra. One would hardly like to be at the pains of proving the correctness of this statement; nevertheless in the seventeenth century there lived one Laymarius, a clergyman, who was not afraid of this trouble, and found the calculations of the Masora (e.g., that occurs 222 times) in part inaccurate; vid., Monatliche Unterredungen, 1691, S. 467, and besides, Geiger, Urschrift und Uebersetzungen der Bibel, S. 258f.))
cuts it off ( , formed out of =
(Note: Saadia appropriately renders it Arab. yqrdha , by referring, as does Dunash also, to the Talmudic , which occurs of ants, like Arab. qrd , of rodents. So Peah ii. 7, Menachoth 71 b, on which Rashi observes, “the locust ( ) is accustomed to eat from above, the ant tears off the corn-stalk from below.” Elsewhere denotes the breaking off of dry branches from the tree, as the removal of green branches.))
viz., with its tusks; and that which moves about the fields (vid., concerning , Psa 50:11), i.e., the untractable, lively wild beast, devours it. Without doubt the poet associates a distinct nation with the wild boar in his mind; for animals are also in other instances the emblems of nations, as e.g., the leviathan, the water-serpent, the behemoth (Isa 30:6), and flies (Isa 7:18) are emblems of Egypt. The Midrash interprets it of Ser-Edom, and , according to Gen 16:12, of the nomadic Arabs.
In Psa 80:15 the prayer begins for the third time with threefold urgency, supplicating for the vine renewed divine providence, and a renewal of the care of divine grace. We have divided the verse differently from the accentuation, since is to be understood according to Ges. 142. The junction by means of is at once opposed to the supposition that in Psa 80:16 signifies a slip or plant, plantam (Targum, Syriac, Aben-Ezra, Kimchi, and others), and that consequently the whole of Psa 80:16 is governed by . Nor can it mean its (the vine’s) stand or base, (Bttcher), since one does not plant a “stand.” The lxx renders : , which is imper. aor. 1. med., therefore in the sense of .
(Note: Perhaps the Caph majusculum is the result of an erasure that required to be made, vid., Geiger, Urschrift, S. 295. Accordingly the Ajin suspensum might also be the result of a later inserted correction, for there is a Phoenician inscription that has (wood, forest); vid., Levy, Phnizisches Wrterbuch, S. 22.)
But the alternation of (cf. Pro 2:11, and Arab. jn la , to cover over) with the accusative of the object makes it more natural to derive , not from = , but from Arab. kanna = , to cover, conceal, protect (whence Arab. kinn , a covering, shelter, hiding-place): and protect him whom…or: protect what Thy right hand has planted. The pointing certainly seems to take as the feminine of (lxx, Dan 11:7, ); for an imperat. paragog. Kal of the form does not occur elsewhere, although it might have been regarded by the punctuists as possible from the form , volve, Psa 119:22. If it is regarded as impossible, then one might read . At any rate the word is imperative, as the following , eum quem , also shows, instead of which, if were a substantive, one would expect to find a relative clause without , as in Psa 80:16. Moreover Psa 80:16 requires this, since can only be used of visiting with punishment. And who then would the slip (branch) and the son of man be in distinction from the vine? If we take as imperative, then, as one might expect, the vine and the son of man are both the people of God. The Targum renders Psa 80:16 thus: “and upon the King Messiah, whom Thou hast established for Thyself,” after Psa 2:1-12 and Dan 7:13; but, as in the latter passage, it is not the Christ Himself, but the nation out of which He is to proceed, that is meant. has the sense of firm appropriation, as in Isa 44:14, inasmuch as the notion of making fast passes over into that of laying firm hold of, of seizure. Rosenmller well renders it: quem adoptatum tot nexibus tibi adstrinxisti . The figure of the vine, which rules all the language here, is also still continued in Psa 80:17; for the partt. fem. refer to ot refer , – the verb, however, may take the plural form, because those of Israel are this “vine,” which combusta igne, succisa (as in Isa 33:12; Aramaic, be cut off, tear off, in Psa 80:13 the Targum word for ; Arabic, ksh , to clear away, peel off), is just perishing, or hangs in danger of destruction ( ) before the threatening of the wrathful countenance of God. The absence of anything to denote the subject, and the form of expression, which still keeps within the circle of the figure of the vine, forbid us to understand this Psa 80:17 of the extirpation of the foes. According to the sense
(Note: The has Gaja, like (Psa 81:3), (Psa 144:7), and the like. This Gaja beside the Sheb (instead of beside the following vowel) belongs to the peculiarities of the metrical books, which in general, on account of their more melodious mode of delivery, have many such a Gaja beside Sheb, which does not occur in the prose books. Thus, e.g., and always have Gaja beside the Sheb when they have Rebia magnum without a conjunctive, probably because Rebia and Dech had such a fulness of tone that a first stroke fell even upon the Sheb -letters.)
coincides with the supplicatory . It is Israel that is called in Psa 80:16, as being the son whom Jahve has called into being in Egypt, and then called out of Egypt to Himself and solemnly declared to be His son on Sinai (Exo 4:22; Hos 11:1), and who is now, with a play upon the name of Benjamin in Psa 80:3 (cf. Psa 80:16), called , as being the people which Jahve has preferred before others, and has placed at His right hand
(Note: Pinsker punctuates thus: Let Thy hand be upon the man, Thy right hand upon the son of man, whom, etc.; but the impression that and coincide is so strong, that no one of the old interpreters (from the lxx and Targum onwards) has been able to free himself from it.)
for the carrying out of His work of salvation; who is called, however, at the same time , because belonging to a humanity that is feeble in itself, and thoroughly conditioned and dependent. It is not the more precise designation of the “son of man” that is carried forward by , “and who has not drawn back from Thee” (Hupfeld, Hitzig, and others), but it is, as the same relation which is repeated in Psa 80:19 shows, the apodosis of the preceding petition: then shall we never depart from Thee; being not a participle, as in Psa 44:19, but a plene written voluntative: recedamus, vowing new obedience as thanksgiving of the divine preservation. To the prayer in Psa 80:18 corresponds, then, the prayer , which is expressed as future (which can rarely be avoided, Ew. 229), with a vow of thanksgiving likewise following: then will we call with Thy name, i.e., make it the medium and matter of solemn proclamation. In v. 20 the refrain of this Psalm, which is laid out as a trilogy, is repeated for the third time. The name of God is here threefold.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Desolated Vine. | |
8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. 9 Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. 10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. 11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. 12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? 13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. 14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; 15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. 16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. 17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. 18 So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. 19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
The psalmist is here presenting his suit for the Israel of God, and pressing it home at the throne of grace, pleading with God for mercy and grace for them. The church is here represented as a vine (Psa 80:8; Psa 80:14) and a vineyard, v. 15. The root of this vine is Christ, Rom. xi. 18. The branches are believers, John xv. 5. The church is like a vine, weak and needing support, unsightly and having an unpromising outside, but spreading and fruitful, and its fruit most excellent. The church is a choice and noble vine; we have reason to acknowledge the goodness of God that he has planted such a vine in the wilderness of this world, and preserved it to this day. Now observe here,
I. How the vine of the Old-Testament church was planted at first. It was brought out of Egypt with a high hand; the heathen were cast out of Canaan to make room for it, seven nations to make room for that one. Thou didst sweep before it (so some read v. 9), to make clear work; the nations were swept away as dirt with the besom of destruction. God, having made room for it, and planted it, cause it to take deep root by a happy establishment of their government both in church and state, which was so firm that, though their neighbours about them often attempted it, they could not prevail to pluck it up.
II. How it spread and flourished. 1. The land of Canaan itself was fully peopled. At first they were not so numerous as to replenish it, Exod. xxiii. 29. But in Solomon’s time Judah and Israel were many as the sand of the sea; the land was filled with them, and yet such a fruitful land that it was not over-stocked, v. 10. The hills of Canaan were covered with their shadow, and the branches, though they extended themselves far, like those of the vine, yet were not weak like them, but as strong as those of the goodly cedars. Israel not only had abundance of men, but those mighty men of valour. 2. They extended their conquests and dominion to the neighbouring countries (v. 11): She sent out her boughs to the sea, the great sea westward, and her branches to the river, to the river of Egypt southward, the river of Damascus northward, or rather the river Euphrates eastward, Gen. xv. 18. Nebuchadnezzar’s greatness is represented by a flourishing tree, Dan 4:20; Dan 4:21. But it is observable here concerning this vine that it is praised for its shadow, its boughs, and its branches, but not a word of its fruit, for Israel was an empty vine, Hos. x. 1. God came looking for grapes, but, behold, wild grapes, Isa. v. 2. And, if a vine do not bring forth fruit, no tree so useless, so worthless, Eze 15:2; Eze 15:6.
III. How it was wasted and ruined: “Lord, thou hast done great things for this vine, and why shall it be all undone again? If it were a plant not of God’s planting, it were not strange to see it rooted up; but will God desert and abandon that which he himself gave being to?” v. 12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges? There was a good reason for this change in God’s way towards them. This noble vine had become the degenerate plant of a strange vine (Jer. ii. 21), to the reproach of its great owner, and then no marvel if he took away its hedge (Isa. v. 5); yet God’s former favours to this vine are urged as pleas in prayer to God, and improved as encouragements to faith, that, notwithstanding all this, God would not wholly cast them off. Observe, 1. The malice and enmity of the Gentile nations against Israel. As soon as ever God broke down their hedges and left them exposed troops of enemies presently broke in upon them, that waited for an opportunity to destroy them. Those that passed by the way plucked at them; the board out of the wood and the wild beast of the field were ready to ravage it, v. 13. But, 2. See also the restraint which these cruel enemies were under; for till God had broken down their hedges they could not pluck a leaf of this vine. The devil could not hurt Job so long as God continued the hedge round about him, Job i. 10. See how much it is the interest of any people to keep themselves in the favour of God and then they need not fear any wild beast of the field, Job v. 23. If we provoke God to withdraw, our defence has departed from us, and we are undone. The deplorable state of Israel is described (v. 16): It is burnt with fire; it is cut down; the people are treated like thorns and briers, that are nigh unto cursing and whose end is to be burned, and no longer like vines that are protected and cherished. They perish not through the rage of the wild beast and the boar, but at the rebuke of thy countenance; that was it which they dreaded and to which they attributed all their calamities. It is well or ill with us according as we are under God’s smiles or frowns.
IV. What their requests were to God hereupon. 1. That God would help the vine (Psa 80:14; Psa 80:15), that he would graciously take cognizance of its case and do for it as he thought fit: “Return, we beseech thee, O Lord of hosts! for thou hast seemed to go away from us. Look down from heaven, to which thou hast retired,–from heaven, that place of prospect, whence thou seest all the wrongs that are done us, that place of power, whence thou canst send effectual relief,–from heaven, where thou hast prepared thy throne of judgment, to which we appeal, and where thou hast prepared a better country for those that are Israelites indeed,–thence give a gracious look, thence make a gracious visit, to this vine. Take our woeful condition into thy compassionate consideration, and for the particular fruits of thy pity we refer ourselves to thee. Only behold the vineyard, or rather the root, which thy right hand hath planted, and which therefore we hope thy right hand will protect, that branch which thou madest strong for thyself, to show forth thy praise (Isa. xliii. 21), that with the fruit of it thou mightest be honoured. Lord, it is formed by thyself and for thyself, and therefore it may with a humble confidence be committed to thyself and to thy own care.” As for God, his work is perfect. What we read the branch in the Hebrew is the son (Ben), whom in thy counsel thou hast made strong for thyself. That branch was to come out of the stock of Israel (my servant the branch, Zech. iii. 8), and therefore, till he should come, Israel in general, and the house of David in particular, must be preserved, and upheld, and kept in being. He is the true vine,Joh 15:1; Isa 11:1. Destroy it not for that blessing is in it, Isa. lxv. 8. 2. That he would help the vine-dresser (Psa 80:17; Psa 80:18): “Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,” that king (whoever it was) of the house of David that was now to go in and out before them; “let they hand be upon him, not only to protect and cover him, but to own him, and strengthen him, and give him success.” We have this phrase, Ezra vii. 28, And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me. Their king is called the man of God’s right hand as he was the representative of their state, which was dear to God, as his Benjamin, the son of his right hand, as he was president in their affairs and an instrument in God’s right hand of much good to them, defending them from themselves and from their enemies and directing them in the right way, and as he was under-shepherd under him who was the great shepherd of Israel. Princes, who have power, must remember that they are sons of men, of Adam (so the word is), that, if they are strong, it is God that has made them strong, and he has made them so for himself, for they are his ministers to serve the interests of his kingdom among men, and, if they do this in sincerity, his hand shall be upon them; and we should pray in faith that it may be so, adding this promise, that, if God will adhere to our governors, we will adhere to him: So will not we go back from thee; we will never desert a cause which we see that God espouses and is the patron of. Let God be our leader and we will follow him. Adding also this prayer, “Quicken us, put life into us, revive our dying interests, revive our drooping spirits, and then we will call upon thy name. We will continue to do so upon all occasions, having found it not in vain to do so.” We cannot call upon God’s name in a right manner unless he quicken us; but it is he that puts life into our souls, that puts liveliness into our prayers. But many interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, apply this to the Messiah, the Son of David, the protector and Saviour of the church and the keeper of the vineyard. (1.) He is the man of God’s right hand, to whom he has sworn by his right hand (so the Chaldee), whom he has exalted to his right hand, and who is indeed his right hand, the arm of the Lord, for all power is given to him. (2.) He is that son of man whom he made strong for himself, for the glorifying of his name and the advancing of the interests of his kingdom among men. (3.) God’s hand is upon him throughout his whole undertaking, to bear him out and carry him on, to protect and animate him, that the good pleasure of the Lord might prosper in his hand. (4.) The stability and constancy of believers are entirely owing to the grace and strength which are laid up for us in Jesus Christ, Ps. lxviii. 28. In him is our strength found, by which we are enabled to persevere to the end. Let thy hand be upon him; on him let our help be laid who is mighty; let him be made able to save to the uttermost and that will be our security; so will not we go back from thee.
Lastly, The psalm concludes with the same petition that had been put up twice before, and yet it is no vain repetition (v. 19): Turn us again. The title given to God rises, v. 3, O God! v. 7, O God of hosts! v. 19, O Lord (Jehovah) God of hosts! When we come to God for his grace, his good-will towards us and his good work in us, we should pray earnestly, continue instant in prayer, and pray more earnestly.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt. Under the figure of a vine, the singular grace which God was graciously pleased to exercise towards his people after he had redeemed them is celebrated; and this powerfully contributed to inspire them with the hope of being heard. For which of us can be so presumptuous as to dare to come into the presence of God until he himself has previously invited us? Now, he allures us to himself both by his benefits and by his word. The object in view in now presenting his liberality before him is, that he should not leave unfinished the work of his hands which he had commenced. It is indeed true that, without his word, the benefits which he has conferred upon us would make a faint impression upon our hearts; but when experience is added to the testimony of his word, it greatly encourages us. Now, the redemption of which mention is here made was inseparably connected with the covenant of God; for he had, even four hundred years before, entered into covenant with Abraham, in which he promised the deliverance of his seed. What is stated amounts in short to this, that it is unbecoming that God should now suffer the vine which he had planted and cultivated so carefully with his own hand to be wasted by wild beasts. God’s covenant was not made to last only for a few days, or for a short time: when he adopted the children of Abraham, he took them under his keeping for ever. By the word vine, is intimated the high place which this people held in the estimation of God, who not only was pleased to hold them as his own inheritance, but who also distinguished them by peculiar honor, even as a vine excels all other possessions. When it is said that the land or ground was cleansed, this is a repetition of what had been previously stated, that the heathen were cast out to make room for the chosen people. Perhaps, however, the allusion is to the continual digging which vines require, in order to their being kept clean lest they should degenerate; this allusion being made with the view of showing how God had performed the part of a good husbandman towards his people, since, after having planted them, he did not cease to employ every means to cherish and preserve them. What is added immediately after, Thou hast rooted its roots, is not to be understood of the planting of it at first, but of the pains taken by God to propagate it, (393) which is a part of the culture of the vine. Whence it follows that the mountains were covered with its shadow; for the whole country, although mountainous, was filled with inhabitants; so much did that people increase in number. The branches of this vine are compared to the cedars of God, that is, to the most beautiful and most excellent cedars; thereby to express still more vividly how eminently the seed of Abraham were blessed of God. The sea and the Euphrates, as is well known, were the divinely appointed boundaries of the land promised them for an inheritance.
(393) “ Mais du travail qu’il avoit prins a la provigner.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(8) Thou hast brought.The verb is to be taken as a historic present, Thou bringest. It is a verb used both of horticulture (Job. 19:10) and, like the word planted in the next clause, of breaking up and removing a nomadic encampment, pulling out the tent-pins, and driving them in.,,
The vine (or vineyard), as an emblem of Israel, is so natural and apt that we do not wonder to find it repeated again and again in the Old Testament, and adopted in the New. Probably Isa. 5:1-7 was the parent image, unless the Patriarchal benediction on Joseph (Gen. 49:22) suggested that song.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt Not two vines, as they were now two kingdoms. Here the unity of the whole Hebrew family is beautifully represented, and God’s gracious care of it confessed, showing that this prayer-psalm was in behalf of the whole nation. A largehearted patriotism and true piety should go together. With this verse begin the details of the providential history of the Hebrew people.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 80:8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt The Psalmist, whoever he was, describing the Israelites under the simile of a vine, continues the metaphor to a considerable length, and carries it on very happily through the several particulars. Among the many excellencies with which this allegory abounds, that nicety observable both in the beginning and close of it, is not the least; the author sliding, as it were, from the comparison into the subject itself, and from thence into the comparison, by an almost insensible gradation. Thou hast brought a vine, &c. See Bishop Lowth’s 10th Prelection.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
If we read this in allusion, first, to the old church dispensation, and then again spiritually to the new, and the Holy Ghost condescends to be our teacher, we shall find rich instruction in the beautiful similitude here adopted, of the church represented by a vine. Christ is the Vine, so he himself hath said; and that as the head of his body, the church; Joh 15:1 , etc. God the Holy Ghost calls the church by the same, Isa 5:1 , etc. Now the Lord Jehovah’s glory is celebrated in that Christ, the great Shepherd, first formed his people into a church, a flock, and brought them out of Egypt. To make room for it in Canaan, the Lord drove out the natural inhabitants, seven nations, from thence. There the church was settled: it spread abroad: the hills were covered with the branches of it, and the sea of the neighboring states found Israel flourishing. But when the enemy came in, like the boar of the wood, and sin and corruption brought forth wild grapes, then, though the Lord had planted a choice root, it became a degenerate plant; Jer 2:21 . All this is literally the case respecting the history of the old church. But with what increasing strength of allusion is the similitude made in reference to the new! for here Christ, as the true Vine, and his church as his branches, are brought out of the spiritual Egypt of sin and death. When they have taken root in Jesus, the branches of his grace and the fruits of his Spirit go forth in every direction, to his praise and glory. And, agreeably to Jehovah’s promise, the dominion of Jesus is from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Psa 72:8 . Are those branches broken off? Hath the enemy, like the boar, directed his malice against the Vine? Yes, in the person of the elder branch, the Jew, we find sad devastations. The Holy Ghost hath explained this by his servant the apostle, Rom 11:1-26 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 80:8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
Ver. 8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt ] The Church is oft set forth by this similitude. The Rabbis say that Solomon made a vine of gold in the temple. Athenaeus telleth us that the kings of Persia sat under a golden vine having bunches of smaragds and other stately stones. All this was nothing to God’s vine, that plant of renown, brought out of Egypt (where it got no good, Eze 34:29 ; Eze 20:8 ), and set in a better soil.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 80:8-13
8You removed a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and planted it.
9You cleared the ground before it,
And it took deep root and filled the land.
10The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And the cedars of God with its boughs.
11It was sending out its branches to the sea
And its shoots to the River.
12Why have You broken down its hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
13A boar from the forest eats it away
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.
Psa 80:8-13 This strophe uses the vineyard as a metaphor for the covenant people.
1. YHWH brought them out of Egypt (as He promised in Gen 15:12-21)
2. YHWH defeated the Canaanite tribes (i.e., Joshua’s conquest)
3. YHWH planted them in the good soil of the Promised Land
Even with all these divine blessings they were unfaithful (cf. Nehemiah 9; Psalms 78). So the curses of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-30 came into effect.
1. His protection (i.e., the wall of the vineyard) was removed
2. He allowed invaders to take Canaan (Psa 80:12-13). As the Israelites drove out the sinful Canaanites (i.e., Gen 15:12-21) so now the sinful covenant people are removed.
Psa 80:8 vine This could refer to all of the covenant people (cf. Isaiah 5; Hos 10:1) or be a specific reference to the northern kingdom (cf. Gen 49:22).
Psa 80:11 sea. . .the River This refers to the Mediterranean to the west and the head waters of the Euphrates River to the northeast (cf. Exo 23:31).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
a vine. Compare Isa 5:1-7; Isa 27:2-6. Jer 2:21; Jer 12:10. Psa 80:11 connects Joseph and Gen 49:22.
heathen = nations.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 80:8-19
Psa 80:8-19
“Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:
Thou didst drive out the nations and plantedst it.
Thou preparedst room before it,
And it took deep root, and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with the shadow of it,
And the boughs thereof were like cedars of God.
It sent out its branches unto the sea,
And its shoots unto the River.
Why hast thou broken down its walls,
So that all that pass by the way do pluck it?
The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,
And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.
Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:
Look down from heaven,
And behold and visit this vine.
And the stock which thy right hand planted,
And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down:
They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
So shall we not go back from thee:
Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.
Turn us again, O Jehovah God of hosts;
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
There is not a more tragic prayer in all the Word of God than here.”
“Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt … plantedst it” (Psa 80:8). This is a reference to the bringing forth of Israel out of Egyptian slavery.
“Thou preparedst room before it” (Psa 80:9). This speaks of God’s driving out the pagan nations of Canaan to make room for the settlement of Israel in the Promised Land.
“It took deep root, and filled the land” (Psa 80:9). This describes the growth and prosperity of Israel in Canaan. Psa 80:10 is an expansion of the thought here.
“Branches unto the sea … shoots unto the River” (Psa 80:11). This refers to the expansion of the Hebrew kingdom from the Mediterranean Sea to the River Euphrates, the boundaries of the nation during the reign of Solomon.
“Why hast thou broken down its walls” (Psa 80:12)? `Walls’ here is a reference to the walls of the vineyard, the walls of Jerusalem. Coupled with Psa 80:16, below, where it appears that the vineyard has been burned with fire and cut down, it is clear enough that the total destruction of Jerusalem has taken place at the time of the writing of this psalm.
“The boar out of the wood … the wild beasts” (Psa 80:13). These were nations such as Assyria and Babylon which ravaged and destroyed the “degenerate vine.”
“Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts” (Psa 80:14). This is a plaintive cry for God again to nourish the vine as in the days of old; but the degeneracy of the vine was a great hindrance to God’s doing any such thing.
“And the Branch that thou madest strong for thyself” (Psa 80:15). We have capitalized “Branch,” here because that title belongs to no other in heaven or earth except the Son of God. (See Zec 3:8.) The alternative reading for “Branch” in this passage is “Son,” another word which we capitalize, because it appears to this writer that there are definitely Messianic overtones in this fervent plea of God’s people for “salvation.” From what other source, either in heaven or upon earth could salvation have been available for any person whomsoever?
In this connection, we note that Addis entitled this psalm, “The Messianic Hope,” stating that, “The psalmist looks forward to … the advent of the Messianic age. We believe this is correct and that in this we have the only adequate interpretation of Psa 80:17, below.
“Burned with fire … cut down” (Psa 80:16). See under Psa 80:12, above for the implications of these words.
“Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the Son of Man whom thou madest strong for thyself” (Psa 80:17). Barnes identified this person with the king of northern Israel, but the words `Son of Man’ (which we have capitalized) absolutely forbid such a view.
Barnes interpreted “Branch” in Psa 80:15 to mean, “all the offspring or shoots of the vine, reading “branches” here, instead of “Branch,” thus making it mean all Israelites.
“The man of thy right hand” (Psa 80:17). Who else, other than Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of Man, could properly be referred to as, “The man of God’s Right Hand”? Is it not He who sits at the right hand of the Majesty on High?
Barnes gave an opposite view of this, affirming that, “This is a prayer for the and military ruler of the land. This seems very strange to us in that no `land’ is mentioned here.
“Upon the Son of Man” (Psa 80:17). Here again capital letters should be used. This was Christ’s favorite of all the expressions that he used in reference to himself, and this writer finds it impossible to deny its reference to Christ here. Again, we regret to find ourselves in disagreement with Barnes who stated that. “This expression means simply `man,’ the language being varied for the sake of poetry … It refers to the king or ruler. Nevertheless, we cannot believe that any ruler of that whole era would have been referred to by the Spirit of God as “the man of God’s right hand” (Psa 80:17).
“Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name” (Psa 80:18). Here the psalmist is coming closer to what is really needed in Israel, namely, a change in the people themselves.
“Turn us again, O Jehovah God of hosts” (Psa 80:19). Here is the climax of the psalm. God will turn to Israel when Israel turns to God. The great change so desperately needed is not in the attitude of God, but in that of the degenerate vine with its wild grapes.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 80:8. This is a parable between the Israelites people and a vine. If a man purchased a vine it would be useless to him unless he planted it. In order to have a place for the vine he would first have to clear his ground of other plants. And so the Lord cleared the ground (land of Palestine) of objectionable plants (the heathen), then placed his own plant (the Israelite nation) in a position to grow.
Psa 80:9. The parable is continued as a vine would require. There was enough room to plant the vine when the children of Israel crossed over into Palestine. But it was necessary to have more space, hence David says thou preparedst room. This was done by the work of Joshua in overthrowing the 31 kings. (Jos 12:24.)
Psa 80:10. As a thrifty vine would spread until it covered the hillside, so the nation of Israel grew until it occupied the whole land.
Psa 80:11. The extent to which the vine reached is specified in this verse. The sea was the Mediterranean and the river was the Jordan.
Psa 80:12. David continued his remarks in the language of the parable. Vineyards were enclosed by hedges for protection (Mat 21:33; Mar 12:1). To break down the hedge would be to expose the vineyard to the ravages of the enemy. The Psalmist was using this to compare the exposure of Israel to the oppression of the heathen which God did for the purpose of chastisement.
Psa 80:13. These wild beasts were used to compare the heathen nations about the country whose savagery had been felt by the Israelites.
Psa 80:14. Again David did not deny the justice of the punishment. He only pleaded for mercy by asking God to visit this vine. That meant to bestow some relief on the people of the Lord by pushing the enemy back.
Psa 80:15. Right hand planted means it was right for the nation to be established by the hand of God. Since the Lord had made the vine strong for himself, he surely would be inclined to come to its rescue.
Psa 80:16. The strong terms used referred to the vicious treatment that the heathen had imposed on the nation. David recognized it as a punishment from God, for he lays it to the rebuke of thy countenance.
Psa 80:17. I have explained that the right hand of God means that the things done by the hand of God are right. On that basis a man who is favorable toward God’s right hand would be a good man. Such a man might expect that God would give him his hand in the way of support for his life of righteousness.
Psa 80:18. David promised not to forsake the Lord if he would give him his hand for guidance. Quicken us meant to encourage and enliven them by his favors, thus inducing them to call upon the name of the Lord.
Psa 80:19. This verse is practically the same in thought as Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Cause Thy Face to Shine
Psa 80:8-19
The imagery of the vine is taken from Jacobs dying words, in which he compared Joseph to a fruitful bough which had grown over the wall, Gen 49:22. It is therefore a very apt and appropriate figure in this psalm, of which the northern tribes are the special subject. The figure of the vine is wrought out with extreme beauty. The book of Exodus tells of the transplanting, and those of Joshua and Judges of the ground that was cleared to receive it. In the days of Solomon, the boughs of the kingdom reached to the Euphrates on the east, and the Great Sea (the Mediterranean) on the west. But the walls were broken down by invasion, and the vine lay at the mercy of every passer-by or the wild creatures of the forest.
We, too, know the havoc which ensues when the Church no longer lives within the ring-fence of Gods care. Revive us! Restore us! Cause thy face to shine! The man of thy right hand, Psa 80:17, may be another term for Israel, Gen 35:18. But our Lord alone can fulfill this description; and Gods power is pledged to arrest the advance of the enemy, and to cause the true Vine and its branches to cover the earth. We must turn to Joh 15:1-27 to find the antitype of Israel, in the relation between Christ and His Church.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
a vine: Isa 5:1-7, Isa 27:2, Isa 27:3, Jer 2:21, Eze 15:6, Eze 17:6, Eze 19:10, Mat 21:33-41, Joh 15:1-8
thou hast cast: Psa 44:2, Psa 78:55, Jer 18:9, Jer 18:10, This most elegant allegory, which is every where well supported, is frequently employed by sacred writers. See the parallel passages.
Reciprocal: Exo 15:17 – plant Exo 34:24 – I will 2Sa 7:10 – plant them Psa 80:15 – vineyard Psa 105:44 – gave Psa 111:6 – that he Isa 5:7 – the vineyard Jer 11:17 – that Jer 12:10 – my vineyard Jer 45:4 – that which Eze 15:2 – What Mar 12:1 – planted Luk 13:6 – fig tree Luk 20:9 – planted 1Co 3:9 – ye are God’s
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 80:8-9. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt Israel, or the church of God, is often compared to a vine: see Isa 5:2; Jer 2:21; Eze 17:6; Mat 21:33. He alludes to the custom of transplanting trees for their more advantageous growth. Thou hast cast out the heathen The nations of Canaan, to make room for it; seven nations to make room for that one; and planted it In their place. Thou preparedst room before it Hebrew, , pinnita lepaneiah, thou didst prepare, or, prepare the way, before it; that is, thou didst purge or cleanse the soil, removing the stones, or roots, or plants, which might have hindered its growth or fruitfulness. Thou didst root out those idolatrous and wicked nations which would either have corrupted or destroyed thy church. And didst cause it to take deep root By so firm a settlement in that land, and such a happy establishment of their government, both in church and state, that though their neighbours about them often attempted it, yet they could not prevail to pluck it up. And it filled the land It flourished and spread itself over all the country. The whole land of Canaan was fully peopled by them. At first indeed they were not so numerous as perfectly to replenish it, Exo 23:29. But in Solomons time Judah and Israel were as many as the sand of the sea; the land was filled with them, and yet was so fruitful that it was not overstocked.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
80:8 Thou hast brought a {g} vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
(g) Seeing that from your mercy you have made us a most dear possession to you, and we through our sins are made open for wild beasts to devour us, declare again my love and finish the work that you have begun.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. Israel’s downtrodden condition 80:8-14a
The psalmist now changed his figure and pictured Israel as a vine that God had transplanted from Egypt to Canaan (cf. Eze 17:6-10; Hos 10:1). He cleared the land of Canaan for her by driving the native people out. Israel had taken root in the Promised Land and, as a vine, had spread out in all directions. It had become strong and luxuriant under God’s blessing. However, God had broken down the wall that protected it, and its neighbors were now consuming it (cf. Isa 5:5). This section closes with a refrain similar to, yet slightly different from, the one in Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19.
The figure of a vine to represent Israel is very old. It probably originated in Jacob’s blessing of Joseph (Gen 49:22). The prophets used it often (cf. Isa 5:1-7; Isa 27:2-6; Jer 2:21; Jer 12:10; Ezekiel 15; Eze 19:10-14; Hos 10:1). The Lord Jesus also used it to describe Himself, the ideal Israel (Joh 15:1; Joh 15:5). It is an appropriate figure because a vine is a source of blessing to others (cf. Gen 12:3).